Saturday, October 19, 2013

2013 Skate America-Short Dance & Men SP

Just a few quick thoughts about the men's SP last night... so many WOW programs even with a few jump issues here and there. First, Tatsuki Machida blew me away with his gorgeous jumps and wonderful lyricism in between. I hope he can challenge Hanyu over the course of the season because I prefer his skating to Hanyu's. Both Daisuke Takahashi and Takahiko Kozuka had some jump problems, but the quality of their skating cannot be disputed. Dai floated over the ice in a beautifully lyric program, and Taka hit all the notes of his jazzy music perfectly. They are both such a joy to watch.

On to the Americans - Jason Brown and Adam Rippon - both WOW! Soooo happy to see Adam land the quad Lutz and skate the program with such confidence, and Jason just oozed musicality and owned every movement.

The Short Dance also had its share of entertaining programs. Of course, Meryl Davis and Charlie White killed it. Their program is full of so many nuances, and they perform it with such lightness and joy. I absolutely loved Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte's program. They've improved so much the last couple of years, and they were flying around the ice. Maia and Alex Shibutani also had a great debut of their short dance. I thought they really captured the spirit of the dance rhythms.